Balsamic-Marinated Portobello Pizzas

Friends, are you ready for a flavor bomb?! I hope so, because that’s what you’re going to get with these Balsamic-Marinated Portobello Pizzas. Swoon!

Plus, just 10 simple ingredients required for this savory, satisfying entrée or side. Let’s do this!

I shared a similar recipe on the blog years ago, but the concept has been much improved here!

This new version begins with marinating hearty portobello mushrooms in balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, and red pepper flake (optional). While that’s happening, you can prep your veggies, make vegan cheese (or use store-bought), and prepare / ready your red sauce of choice.

Toppings include a simple red sauce, roasted veggies, and whole garlic cloves for ultimate flavor, plus our go-to 5-minute Macadamia Nut Cheese. This combination of flavors — paired with an optional balsamic drizzle — sends these pizzas over the top! I can’t wait for you all to try them.

FOR SERVING optional

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (204 C) and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

Add portobello mushrooms (stem side up) to a shallow dish or large freezer bag. Add the balsamic vinegar, oil, salt and pepper (or red pepper flake). Use a pastry brush to brush on all sides (or shake bag to coat). Marinate on one side for 5 minutes, then the other side for 5 minutes.

In the meantime, add vegetables and garlic to baking sheet, toss with oil, salt and pepper, and fresh herbs (optional) and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and fragrant, tossing once near the halfway point to ensure even baking. Set aside but keep oven at 400 F (204 C).

Heat a large skillet over medium heat (you could also use a grill for this step). Add mushrooms to the pan, leaving any leftover oil-and-vinegar marinade behind. Cook on each side for about 4-5 minutes, or until caramelized and softened. If your mushrooms are extra thick, covering with a lid can be helpful to encourage even cooking all the way through. Brush on any remaining marinade while cooking to infuse more flavor.

Once mushrooms and vegetables are cooked, assemble pizzas. Place mushrooms on a parchment-lined baking sheet or baking pan and add toppings, starting with pizza sauce, then roasted veggies, roasted garlic, and soft vegan cheese. You can also add vegan parmesan cheese or red pepper flake at this point (optional).

Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until hot. The soft vegan cheese will be slightly golden brown on top. Remove from oven and enjoy as is, or garnish with fresh basil, balsamic drizzle, red pepper flake, and extra vegan parmesan (all optional).

Best when fresh, though leftovers will keep covered in the refrigerator up to 3-4 days. Reheat in a 350 degree F (176 C) oven until hot.

Notes

*Recipe adapted from our Vegan Portobello Pizzas and inspired by the Stuffed Portobello Mushroom at ABGB.*For the red sauce, we adapted Smitten Kitchen’s favorite red sauce, straining one 28-ounce jar whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes for 2 hours and discarding the liquid that drained out. Strained tomatoes are blended with 3-4 Tbsp (1 small handful) basil, 1-2 cloves garlic, and salt to taste.*To make the balsamic reduction, add 1 cup (240 ml) balsamic vinegar to a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil. Allow to simmer until it is reduced by half and appears slightly syrupy (about 10-15 minutes). Watch carefully near the end as it can go from reduced to burnt quickly. You’ll know it’s done when it coats the sides of the pan when swirled. Remove from heat and let cool where it will continue to thicken. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for 2 weeks (sometimes longer).*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with avocado oil and our macadamia ricotta recipe and without optional ingredients.

This was delicious! I used Trader Joe’s tomato basil marinara sauce, Mykonos vegan cream cheese (it’s the only soft cheese I had on hand), and I made the Vegan Parmesan. As a side note, I was amazed at how easy it was to make vegan parmesan.

The roasted garlic was so yummy and really added great flavor to the dish.

Next time, I will make the Macadamia Nut cheese. The vegan cream cheese I used was really rich. I’ll also add the vinegar glaze. I might try to make it with white vinegar. :-)

Ok, so these were amazing! I actually made 6 mushrooms instead of 4, and even had some veggies left over. I reheated them for lunch just now and they are almost better the next day! The flavors really had a chance to meld overnight. I used jarred marinara sauce because I had some on-hand to get rid of, and I used real cow’s milk mozzarella because I also had some on-hand, and I am not totally vegan. Speaking of cheese, today while I was eating these, I thought blue cheese crumbles would be really good on them too, especially sprinkled on after being reheated. Definitely putting these into my dinner rotation.

Wow this was amazing! I wish i couldve taken photos of how beautiful they looked but they got eaten so fast by carnivores and vegans alike. So flavor packed. I used a marinara pasta sauce instead of pizza sauce since its what i had on hand. And i used all the same veggies Dana used but i added shallot to roast and i broke up the garlic after roasting. I also used kite hi ricotta which is a favorite of mine. Andci used fresh oregano…yum!! I didnt get to add glaze cause i accidentally caramalized too much until it hardened but lets just say this recipe will now be a frequent rotation on the menu. Thx for an amazing recipe dana.

I absolutely love this website and most of the food I make comes from here these days. Made this on on Sunday and loved it so much! We did the mushrooms on the grill. My boyfriend had a leftover one on Monday for lunch and he said he couldn’t get over how much he enjoyed it even as a leftover. He is not vegan! Thanks for all the awesome recipes!

This was delicious. Thank you. I have made so many recipes of yours over the years but have never commented even though they’ve all been great. My mushrooms were quite thick so I added a little water to the pan on the second side and added the lid. That helped soften them. I used a high quality unsweetened jar tomato sauce. No dairy/alternative or balsamic reduction but fresh basil. Soo so good.

Portobello mushrooms taste absolutely magnificent when marinaded in balsamic vinegar and topped with nutritional yeast. Best dinner idea ever! I would love to try recreating the vegan ricotta too. My friends once made this magnificent vegan mozzarella at home out of cashews–can’t even begin to describe how marvelous it was!

I followed the directions to the “t”…almost. What I did worked because they were awesome. My changes included; I used shredded mozzarella, spicy pizza sauce, didn’t add garlic but did throw chopped spinach on top. Also, I grilled the shrooms before putting them in the oven. I’ve grilled portabello’s many times so I went that route.

Hello. I am planning to make this delicious looking recipe. Question: I have never cooked with portobello mushrooms. I just watched a test kitchen video on preparing them and the host said to scrape out the “feathery gills because they give a muddy taste to food”. I noticed you did not do this. So, what do you say about this? I trust your judgement. Thanks for your thoughts on this.
Warm regards,
Elaine in New Mexico

This was incredible and totally hit the spot for my pizza craving since I’m off gluten and having a hard time with chewy things due to dental work, too. The balsamic reduction takes it over the top. I did have to laugh when the portobella came out of the pot, though. I chose to make just one because it said they were best fresh, and I figured I could assemble new ones later in the week with the toppings made ahead…but I forgot ‘bellas shrink! So I spent all this time making a teeny tiny 3″ pizza for myself for dinner! A single person could easily eat 2 and probabaly even 3. Oh well, it was a beautiful appetizer, and it wasn’t a busy night, so I’m making the socca base now for a round of seconds!

I made these tonight and they were very tasty. I was a little confused on the sundried tomatoes though, first, which kind to buy (I bought the jar in oil) and then when to add them to the recipe (I added to the roasting veg pan and they came out a little burned). Everything was still tasty though.

This recipe showed up in my inbox this morning and was just what I needed. It’s so delicious! I actually used your romesco sauce ( a staple in our household) instead of pizza sauce and roasted some jalepenos with the other veggies. Will definitely be making it again.

I tried to pin this recipe to make for a cookout we are having in a month or so, but none of the Pins give me anything but a dark screen and when I but it the name of the recipe, all kinds pop up except yours,,any idea what the problem could be. These look amazing and I really want to try them